Brian McFadden: Corrie wanted me

Brian McFadden has claimed he turned down a Coronation Street role because he was too busy.

The soap has recently featured a host of celebrities, with former Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding appearing in several episodes. Paddy McGuinness also cropped up and The X Factor's Shayne Ward joined the cast, with ex-Westlife star Brian insisting he was in the running for a stint too.

"I did actually get asked to go and have a meeting with Coronation Street about doing a role in it but time wouldn’t let it because I was doing (cooking game show) Who’s Doing The Dishes and I had an album coming out," he told Britain's The Sun newspaper. "I couldn’t live in Manchester for nine months or whatever it was. I just told them I didn’t have the time."

Brian claims there was a particular role being created for him, but show bosses had to find another star when he couldn't free up his schedule.

"They asked if I would be available for this amount of time and it would be for a role," he said. "It sounded fun but I just didn’t have nine months to be in Manchester. I think Shayne Ward got the job."

Shayne stars as Aidan Connor, who is Michelle Connor's cousin. He first appeared on Coronation Street in August (15) and bought a stake in Underworld, but it turned out the money he'd used wasn't his.

Although Brian's background is in music, he would be happy to show off his acting skills in the future. However, he's not sure a soap is the right vehicle for his talents.

"I just couldn’t give up that amount of time," he said. "I would probably give up that amount of time if I got a movie but not to do TV."